Connection device for optical fibres

ABSTRACT

A connection device ( 1 ) for optical fibers, for use in a polluted environment includes a first connector ( 2 ) designed to be associated with at least a first optical fiber ( 16 ) and a second connector ( 3 ) designed to be associated with at least a second optical fiber ( 25 ) to be connected to the first fiber, wherein one of the connectors ( 2, 3 ) carries a fluid reserve ( 36 ) having a refractive index equal to that of the optical fibers, and at least pumping means ( 37 ) connected to said fluid reserve and which, in operation, can be actuated in response to connecting and disconnecting movements of the two connectors ( 2, 3 ) to inject, at each connecting/disconnecting movement, the fluid into a space ( 58 ) encompassing the front ends of the two fibers bringing them closer together or spacing them apart.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a connection device for optical fibres,comprising a first connector intended to be associated with at least afirst optical fibre and a second connector intended to be associatedwith at least a second optical fibre which is to be connected to thefirst fibre.

There already exist many devices for connecting optical fibres togetheror effecting hybrid connections between two cables each containing atleast one optical fibre and at least one electrical conductor. Theoptical fibres used to convey signals or information usually consist ofa sheath surrounding a core made from refringent material, whosediameter has a value of between a few microns and a few tens of micronsdepending on whether it is a case of a monomode or multimode fibre.Under these circumstances, when the connection is to be made in apolluted fluid (liquid or gaseous) environment, for example containingparticles of sand or dust or other fine inert or living particles, it isparticularly important that, when two optical fibres are connected toeach other, the front faces of the fibres to be joined are not soiled byone or more particles and/or that one or more particles do not remaincaptive between the front faces of the said fibres joined end to end.This is because, if this occurred, the transmission of the signals orinformation by the said fibres could be seriously affected thereby.

When it is a case of joining two optical fibres in air, it has alreadybeen proposed to place a drop of a fluid, in general in the form of agel, having a refractive index equal to or very close to that of theoptical fibres, on the end of each of the two optical fibres to bejoined and then to place the two optical fibres end to end. Thus opticalcontinuity, that is to say continuity of the refractive index, isensured in the joining area of two fibres, even if there remains a smallinterstice between the two fibres after they are joined.

However, such a method is difficult to implement when the two opticalfibres must be joined in a polluted fluid environment. This is becauseit is not always possible, in the polluted fluid environment, tomanually put drops of gel on the ends of the fibres to be joined. Nor isit always possible to place drops of gel on the ends of the fibres to bejoined whilst they are outside the polluted fluid environment, eitherbecause one of the two fibres is continuously in the polluted fluidenvironment and cannot be extracted therefrom, or because, even if adrop of gel is put at the end of a fibre whilst it is situated outsidethe polluted fluid environment, it is not certain that, after havingbeen immersed in the polluted fluid environment, there will remain asufficient quantity of gel at the end of the fibre at the time it isjoined with another fibre. Such a situation may for example occur whenit is a case of connecting optical fibres in an undersea environment,for example in order to connect a cable containing optical fibres to anundersea well head.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention is therefore to provide aconnection device for connecting optical fibres in a pollutedenvironment.

To this end, the connection device according to the invention ischaracterised in that one of the two connectors carries a reserve of afluid having a refractive index equal to that of the optical fibres, andat least one pumping means which is connected to the said fluid reserveand which, in service, can be actuated in response to the connection anddisconnection movements of the two connectors in order, at eachconnection/disconnection movement, to inject fluid into a spacesurrounding the front ends of the two fibres bringing them closertogether or spacing them apart.

Thus, with the connection device according to the invention, when thetwo connectors are connected to each other in a polluted fluidenvironment, fluid (gel) having a refractive index equal to that of theoptical fibres is injected into the space surrounding the front ends ofthe two fibres to be joined. The effect of this injection is to driveaway any polluted fluid which might be between the front ends of the twofibres to be joined, and to clean the said front ends. After joining thetwo fibres, the gel thus injected provides optical continuity betweenthe two fibres, even if there remains a small interstice between themafter they are joined. In addition, when the two connectors aresubsequently separated from each other, gel is once again injected intothe space surrounding the front ends of the two fibres whilst they areseparated from each other, so that, after their separation, the frontends of the two fibres remain protected by a certain quantity of gel,thus preserving the fibres against an attack by the polluted fluidenvironment, in particular by sea salt where the invention is applied toconnectors intended to be used in sea water.

The connection device according to the invention can also have one ormore of the following characteristics:

the first connector comprises a first fixed casing or base which has, inits end face turned towards the second connector, a first cavity whichis open towards the said second connector and on the bottom of whichthere project on the one hand at least one fixed optical contact in theform of a socket, in which the first optical fibre is fixed, and on theother hand at least one pusher forced by a first spring towards thesecond connector;

the first optical fibre is provided with a first rigid contact piecewhich extends axially beyond the end of the fixed optical contactprojecting in the said first cavity, and the fixed optical contactcarries a protective cowl which, in the disconnected state of theconnection device, covers the said first contact piece and is at leastpartially filled with the said fluid;

the protective cowl can slide on the fixed optical contact and has, inthe region where it covers the free end of the first contact piece, atleast two contiguous lips made from elastomer material, which canseparate in order to allow the said first contact piece to pass when theprotective cowl is subjected to a thrust directed in the direction ofthe connection movement of the second connector towards the firstconnector, counter to the force of a second spring forcing the saidprotective cowl towards the second connector;

the second connector comprises a second moving casing or plug, which canbe fitted in the first cavity of the first casing and which has, in itsend face turned towards the first connector, a second cavity which isopen towards the said first connector and which contains at least onemovable optical contact in the form of a socket, in which the secondoptical fibre is fixed, which is provided with a second rigid contactpiece, the said movable optical contact being aligned axially with thefixed optical contact of the first casing when the second casing isfitted in the first cavity of the first casing, and being mounted so asto be able to slide with respect to the second casing between a firstposition in which the first and second contact pieces of the first andsecond optical fibres are spaced apart from each other, and a secondposition in which the said first and second contact pieces are mutuallyin contact;

the second contact piece is situated inside the movable optical contactin the form of a socket, which has, at its end directed towards thefixed optical contact, an entry convergence for guiding the firstcontact piece of the first optical fibre, and the first and secondcasings have abutment surfaces cooperating in order to limit the entryof the second casing into the first cavity of the first casing, so that,when the said abutment surfaces are mutually in contact and the movableoptical contact is in its first position, the first contact piece ispartially engaged in the entry convergence of the movable opticalcontact;

the second connector also comprises a wandering sub-assembly, whichcarries the said reserve of the said fluid and the said pumping meansand which is able to move in the second cavity of the second casing inthe direction of the connection-disconnection movement between a firstposition in which the said wandering sub-assembly is retracted in thesecond cavity of the second casing, and a second position in which it ispartially emerged from the said second cavity;

the said wandering sub-assembly is coupled to the movable opticalcontact by an idle-movement connection and by a third spring so that, ina first part of the travel of the wandering sub-assembly in thedirection of the connection movement, the movable optical contact is notdriven by the said wandering sub-assembly and, in a second part of thesaid travel, the said wandering sub-assembly drives with it, by means ofthe third spring, the movable optical contact until the second contactpiece of the second optical fibre comes into contact with the firstcontact piece of the first optical fibre;

the wandering sub-assembly comprises a body in which there are formed atleast a first passage for the movable optical contact, a first chamberforming the said fluid reserve and a second, cylindrical, chamber whichis connected to the first chamber by a second passage containing a firstnon-return valve allowing the fluid to pass only from the first to thesecond chamber, and a piston, provided with a second non-return valve,is disposed in the second chamber and divides the latter into a suctionchamber, into which the said second passage opens out, and a deliverychamber which communicates with the said first passage through a thirdpassage formed in the body of the wandering sub-assembly and with achamber situated inside the movable optical contact in the form of asocket, in front of the second contact piece of the second opticalfibre, by means of at least a fourth passage formed in the said movableoptical contact;

the second non-return valve consists of a lip joint which surrounds thesaid piston and which allows the fluid to pass only from the suctionchamber to the delivery chamber;

the piston is provided with a piston rod which extends in the deliverychamber and which projects outside the body of the wanderingsub-assembly in the direction of the first connector and in alignmentwith the pusher of the first connector when the second casing is engagedin the first cavity in the first casing, and a fourth spring havinglesser stiffness than the first spring is disposed in the suctionchamber and forces the piston and the piston rod towards the saidpusher, the said piston being actuated by the pusher when the wanderingsub-assembly is moved from its first to its second position, and by thefourth spring when the wandering sub-assembly is moved from its secondto its first position;

the second casing and the wandering sub-assembly of the second connectoralso comprises cooperating retention means for retaining the wanderingsub-assembly in its first position in the second cavity of the secondcasing, and the second casing carries a control means which is actuatedby the first casing when the said abutment surfaces of the first andsecond casings come into contact with each other, and which at thismoment acts on the said retention means in order to put them in aninactive state such that the wandering sub-assembly can be moved fromits first to its second position;

the second casing of the second connector has an anchoring ring madefrom elastomer material, which is fixed by one end to the second casingand which carries at its other end at least one anchoring element ableto be attached behind a cooperating anchoring element formed on thefirst casing of the first connector when the said abutment surfaces ofthe first and second casings are mutually in contact;

to allow the movement of the wandering sub-assembly between its firstand second positions, the second connector also comprises a manoeuvringring which can slide on the second casing of the second connector andwhich is connected to the wandering sub-assembly in the second cavity byseveral radial connecting elements passing through oblong slots formedin the second casing;

the manoeuvring ring is sized and configured so as to closely surroundthe anchoring ring when the said manoeuvring ring is in a positioncorresponding to the second position of the wandering sub-assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge moreclearly during the following description of one embodiment given by wayof example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in axial section of a hybrid (electrical and optical)connection device in accordance with the present invention, the twoconnectors of the connection device being depicted in the assembledstate;

FIG. 2 is a view in the direction of the arrow F1 in FIG. 1, showing afirst one of the two connectors of the connection device, seen on end;

FIG. 3 is a view in axial section along the line III—III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view on end, also in the direction of the arrow F1 in FIG.1, showing a second of the two connectors of the connection deviceaccording to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a view in section along the line V—V in FIG. 4;

FIGS. 6 to 10 are views in longitudinal section of the two connectors ofFIGS. 3 and 5, in the assembled state, the movable elements of the twoconnectors being depicted in various positions occupied during aconnection process;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the relative travels of some of themovable elements of the connection device according to the inventionduring a connection process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, a connection device according to theinvention can be seen, produced in the form of a hybrid connectiondevice, that is to say one having electrical contacts for makingconnections between electrical conductors and optical contacts formaking connections between optical fibres. The connection device 1comprises a first connector or male connector 2 (FIGS. 2 and 3) and asecond connector or female connector 3 (FIGS. 4 and 5).

The male connector 2 comprises a fixed casing or base 4 provided with aflange 5 for fixing it, by means of screws or bolts, not shown, forexample on a wall of an item of undersea equipment, such as a well head.The casing 4 has, in its end face turned towards the female connector 3,a cavity 6 which, in the example shown, has a circular cross-section,but whose cross-section could have any other required shape. The cavity6 is intended to receive a part 7, with a corresponding circularcross-section, of the casing 8 of the female connector 3.

The casing 4 of the male connector 2 carries six electrical contact pins9 and two fixed optical contacts 11, which project into the cavity 6from the bottom 12 thereof. On the bottom 12 of the cavity 6 there alsoprojects a cylindrical pusher 13 which can slide in a blind cylindricalhole 14 in the casing 4 and which is forced by a spring 15 in thedirection of the female connector 3.

Each of the two optical contacts 11 has the shape of a socket in whichthere is fixed an optical fibre 16 terminating in a rigid contact piece17, for example made from ceramic, which extends axially beyond the endof the optical contact 11 projecting into the cavity 6. In addition,each optical contact 11 carries a protective cowl 18 which, in thedisconnected state of the connection device 1, covers the piece 17 andis at least partially filled with a fluid in the form of a gel having arefractive index equal to or very close to that of the optical fibre 16.The cowl 18, which is produced partly from metal and partly fromelastomer material, is able to slide on the projecting end of theoptical contact 11 when, as will be seen in detail below, it issubjected to a thrust directed towards the bottom 12 of the cavity 6counter to the return force of a spring 16 which forces the cowl 18towards the female connector 3. The cowl 18 has, in the region where itcovers the free end of the piece 17, at least two contiguous lips 18 aand 18 b made from elastomer material, which can separate in order toallow the piece 17 to pass between them when the cowl 18 is pushedtowards the bottom 12 of the cavity 6.

The part 7 of the casing 8 of the female connector 3 has, in its endface turned towards the male connector 2, a cavity 21, for example witha circular cross-section, which, in the connected state of theconnection device, is open in the direction of the bottom 12 of thecavity of the male connector 2. The casing 8 of the female connector 3rigidly carries six electrical contact elements 22 which project intothe cavity 21 from the bottom 23 thereof and which, in the connectedstate of the two connectors 2 and 3, are respectively aligned with thecontact pins 9 of the male connector 2.

The casing 8 of the female connector 3 also carries two movable opticalcontacts 24 which also project into the cavity 21 and which, in theconnective state of the two connectors 2 and 3, are respectively alignedwith the two fixed optical contacts 11 of the male connector 2. Each ofthe two movable optical contacts 24 also has the shape of a socket inwhich there is fixed an optical fibre 25 provided with a rigid contactpiece 26, for example made from ceramic. Each movable optical contact 24can slide to a limited extent with respect to the casing 8 between afirst position in which the contact pieces 17 and 26 of the mutuallyaligned optical fibres 16 and 25 are spaced apart from each other (FIG.6), and a second position in which the contact pieces 17 and 26 of theoptical fibres 16 and 25 are mutually in contact (FIG. 10). To this end,each movable optical contact 24 is provided, at its periphery, with apiston 27 which can slide in a blind cylindrical hole 28 which is formedin the bottom 23 of the cavity 21 of the casing 8 and which is closedoff by an element in the form of a cylindrical bell 29 screwed into theblind hole 28.

As can be seen in particular in FIG. 5, the contact piece 26 of theoptical fibre 25 is situated inside the corresponding movable opticalcontact 24 in the form of a socket and the latter, has, at its enddirected towards the fixed optical contact 11 of the male connector 2,an entry convergence 31 which guides the contact piece 17 of the opticalfibre 16 of the fixed optical contact 11 whilst it enters inside thecorresponding movable optical contact 24 when the latter is moved fromits first to its second position in a manner which will be described indetail below.

Given that, in the example embodiment described here, the cavity 6 inthe casing 4 of the male connector 2 and the part 7 of the casing 8 ofthe female connector 3, which is intended to be fitted in the cavity 6,both have a circular cross-section, to allow correct alignment andunequivocal match between the contact pins 9 and the contact elements 22on the one hand and between the fixed optical contacts 11 and themovable optical contacts 24 on the other hand, during a process ofconnecting the two connectors 2 and 3, the part 7 of the casing 8 canfor example be provided with a locating pin 32 (FIGS. 1, 4 and 5)intended to be engaged in a notch 33 (FIG. 1) provided in the edge ofthe peripheral wall of the casing 4 surrounding the cavity 6.

In addition, the two casings 4 and 8 of the connectors 2 and 3 haveabutment surfaces 34 and 35 for limiting the penetration of the part 7of the casing 8 in the cavity 6 of the casing 4. The abutment surface35, produced for example in the form of a circular collar on theperiphery of the part 8 of the casing 8, is positioned so that, when thetwo abutment surfaces 34 and 35 are mutually in contact and when themovable optical contacts 24 are in their first position, the contactpiece 17 of the optical fibres 16 of the fixed optical contacts 11 arepartially engaged respectively in the entry convergences 31 of themovable optical contacts 24 as shown in FIG. 7.

The female connector 3 carries a reserve 36 of a fluid (gel) having arefractive index equal to that of the optical fibres 16 and 25, and atleast one pumping means 37, preferably two pumping means, which areassociated respectively with the two movable optical contacts 24 inorder, at each connection-disconnection movement of the connectors 2 and3, to inject a certain quantity of fluid or gel into a space surroundingthe front ends of the two contact pieces 17 and 26 of the optical fibres16 and 25, in particular into the space 58 which is situated in front ofthe piece 26 inside the socket forming the movable optical contact 24.More precisely, the fluid reserve 36 and each of the two pumping means37 are carried by a wandering sub-assembly 38 which is able to move inthe cavity 21 of the casing 8 between a first position in which the saidwandering sub-assembly is completely retracted inside the said cavity 21(FIG. 1), and a second position in which it is partially emerged fromthe said cavity (FIG. 10).

The wandering sub-assembly 38 comprises a body 39, roughly cylindrical,which has two passages 41 passing through it from one end to the other,respectively for the two movable optical contacts 24, and six passages42, respectively for the electrical contact elements 22. All thepassages 41 and 42 extend parallel to the direction of the axis of thecylindrical body 39 of the wandering sub-assembly 38, that is to sayparallel to the axis of the cavities 6 and 21 with a circularcross-section. In the passages 42 there are fixed electrical contactsockets (not shown) which are in sliding contact with the electricalcontact elements 22 carried by the casing 8 of the female connector 3.When the part 7 of the casing 8 of the female connector 3 is fitted inthe cavity 6 of the casing 4 of the male connector 2 and the wanderingsub-assembly 38 is moved from its first to its above mentioned secondposition, the six contact sockets situated respectively in the sixpassages 42 slide over the six contact elements 22 and engage by slidingrespectively on the six contact pins 11 of the male connector 2, thusestablishing an electrical connection between each of the contact pins 9and the corresponding contact element 22.

The body 39 of the wandering sub-assembly 38 is coupled to each of thetwo movable optical contacts 24 by an idle-movement connection 43 and bya spring 44. The coupling is such that, in a first part of the travel ofthe wandering sub-assembly 38 in the direction of the connectionmovement, each movable optical contact 24 is not driven by the body 39of the wandering sub-assembly and, in a second part of the said travel,the body 39 drives with it the movable optical contact 24 by means ofthe spring 44 until the contact piece 26 of the optical fibre 25 comesinto contact with the contact piece 17 of the optical fibre 16. Afterthis the body 39 of the wandering sub-assembly 38 continues its travelalone by compressing the spring 44 until the wandering sub-assemblyarrives in its above mentioned second position (FIG. 10).

For this purpose, as can be seen more clearly in FIG. 6, in each passage41 in the body 39 an annular shoulder 45 is provided which, in the firstposition of the wandering sub-assembly 38, is spaced apart from a washer46 which can slide on the movable optical contact 24 and which issituated at one of the ends of the spring 44. The other end of thespring 44 can bear against an annular shoulder 47 formed at theperiphery of the movable optical contact 24.

Referring once again to FIGS. 1 and 5, it can be seen that the body 39of the wandering sub-assembly 38 has, in its cylindrical externalsurface, a peripheral groove 48 which is covered sealingly by a membrane49 made from elastomer material. The groove 48 and the membrane 49 formtogether a chamber which contains the fluid or gel having the samerefractive index as the optical fibres 16 and 25, and which constitutesthe said fluid reserve 36. The membrane 49 made from elastomer materialbalances the pressures prevailing on each side of the said membrane,that is to say in the fluid reserve 36 and in the space surrounding theconnection device 1.

The body 39 of the wandering sub-assembly 38 also has, for each pumpingmeans 37, a cylindrical chamber 51 whose axis lies parallel to the axesof the passages 41 and 42. At one of its ends, this chamber 51 is incommunication with the fluid chamber or reserve 36 through a passage 52in which there is disposed a non-return valve 53 which allows the fluidto pass solely from the chamber 36 to the chamber 51. A piston 54 isdisposed in the chamber 51 and divides the latter into a suction chamber55 (FIG. 6), into which the passage 52 opens out, and a delivery chamber56. This chamber 56 communicates with the passage 41, in which themovable optical contact 24 is situated, through a passage 57 formed inthe body 39 of the wandering sub-assembly 38 and with the chamber 58situated inside the movable optical contact 24, in front of the contactpiece 26, through several passages formed radially and longitudinally inthe movable optical contact in the form of a socket, so that the passage57 and the chamber 58 remain in communication continuously, whatever theposition of the movable optical contact 24 in the passage 41 of the body39.

The piston 54 is provided with a non-return valve which allows the fluidto pass solely from the suction chamber 55 to the delivery chamber 56.This non-return valve can for example consist of a lip joint 59 madefrom elastomer material, which surrounds the piston 54. In addition, thepiston 54 is provided with a piston rod 61, which extends in thedelivery chamber 55 and which projects outside the body 39 of thewandering sub-assembly 38 in the direction of the male connector 2 andin alignment with the pusher 13 of the latter when the part 7 of thecasing 8 of the female connector 3 is engaged in the cavity 6 of thecasing 4 of the male connector 2. A spring 62 disposed in the suctionchamber 55 forces the piston 55 and the piston rod 61 towards the pusher13. The spring 62 has a lesser stiffness than the spring 15 associatedwith the pusher 13, so that the piston 54 is actuated by the pusher 13when the latter comes into contact with the piston rod 61 during themovement of the wandering sub-assembly 38 from its first to second abovementioned positions. The pusher 13 has an outside diameter greater thanthat of the piston rod 31 and greater than the inside diameter of thebore of the body 39 in which the said piston rod slides.

When the connection device 1 according to the invention is in theconnected state, the fluid reserve 36 can be filled with fluid for thefirst time or it can be refilled subsequently if needed through fillingchannels which are formed in the body 39 of the wandering sub-assembly38 and which are designated in general terms by the reference 63 in FIG.1. In operation, these filling channels are closed off by a screw 64,which serves as a plug, and by a needle screw 65 which serves as a valvein combination with a seat 66 formed in the body 39. For filling thefluid reserve 36, the screw 64 is removed and a feed tube equipped witha screw coupling is screwed in place of the screw 64, and then the screw65 is slightly unscrewed in order to move it away from the seat 66.After this, a fluid or gel with a refractive index equal to that of thefibres 16 and 25 is injected into the fluid reserve 36 through the feedtube and the filling channels 63. Once the fluid reserve 36 is filled,the screw 65 is tightened against the seat 66, the screw coupling of thefeed tube is detached and the screw 64 is refitted.

Preferably the casing 8 of the female connector 3 and the wanderingsub-assembly 38 have cooperating retention means for retaining thewandering sub-assembly in its first position, that is to say in itsposition completely retracted in the cavity 21 of the casing 8, as longas the part 7 of this casing 8 has not been engaged in the cavity 6 ofthe casing 4 of the male connector 2. To this end, as shown in FIG. 1,the wandering sub-assembly 38 has at least one flexible tongue 67projecting on its peripheral surface, the said tongue engaging in arecess 68 formed in the internal cylindrical surface of the cavity 21 ofthe casing 8 in order to retain the wandering sub-assembly 38 in thesaid cavity 21. In addition, the casing 8 carries a control means, forexample a ball 69, which is actuated by the casing 8 of the maleconnector 2 when the abutment surfaces 34 and 35 of the casings 4 and 8arrive mutually in contact, in order to push the flexible tongue 67 outof the recess 68 and thus allow the movement of the wanderingsub-assembly 38 from its first position completely retracted in thecavity 21 towards its second position partially emerged from the saidcavity.

The casing 8 of the female connector 3 can also comprise an anchoringring 71 made from elastomer material, able to maintain the two casings 4and 8 in their assembled state after their abutment surfaces 34 and 35have come into contact with one another. The anchoring ring 71 is fixedby one end to the casing 8 and carries, at its other end, at least oneanchoring element 72 able to hook on behind a cooperating anchoringelement 73 formed on the peripheral surface of the casing 8 of the maleconnector 2 when the abutment surfaces 34 and 35 are in contact. Theanchoring elements 72 and 73 can for example consist of circular rimsformed respectively on the internal peripheral surface of the ring 71and on the external peripheral surface of the casing 4. However, atleast one of the two rims 72 and 73 could be replaced by severalanchoring elements evenly distributed over the internal periphery of thering 71 or on the external periphery of the casing 4.

To allow the movement of the wandering sub-assembly 38 from its first toits second position and vice-versa when the casings 4 and 8 of the twoconnectors 2 and 3 have been assembled, the connector 3 also carries amanoeuvring ring 74 which can slide on the casing 8 and which isconnected to the wandering sub-assembly 38 by several radial screws 75,for example three screws angularly spaced apart by 120°. Each screw 75passes through an oblong slot 76 formed in the cylindrical wall of thecasing 8 and opening out into the cavity 21 therein. Preferably, themanoeuvring ring 74 is extended on one side by a cylindrical skirt 74 awhich is sized and configured so as to closely surround the anchoringring 71 when the manoeuvring ring 74 is in a position corresponding tothe second position of the wandering sub-assembly 38, as shown in FIG.10. In this position, the skirt 78 a of the manoeuvring ring 74 preventsthe ring 71 from expanding radially outwards, so that the two connectors2 and 3 are firmly held in their connected state.

Where the connection device 1 is intended to be used in a liquidenvironment, for example an undersea environment, and therefore in anon-compressible fluid, openings 77 can be provided in the casing 4 andopenings 78 can be provided in the casing 8, in addition to the slots76, to allow balancing of the pressures on the two sides of thewandering sub-assembly 38 in the cavities 6 and 21. Likewise, orifices(not shown) can be provided for balancing the pressures on the two sidesof the piston 27 of each movable optical contact 24.

The functioning of the connection device 1 described above will now bedescribed making reference to FIGS. 6 to 11, FIG. 11 illustrating therespective travels of the wandering sub-assembly 38, the piston 54 ofthe pumping means 37 and each of the two movable optical contacts 24during a process of connection or disconnection. More precisely, in FIG.11, the shaded band 79 of total length L represents the travel of thewandering sub-assembly 38, the shaded band 81 represents the travel ofthe piston 54 and the shaded band 82 represents the travel of themovable optical contact 24.

FIG. 6 depicts the connection device 1 during the engagement of the part7 of the casing 8 of the female connector 3 in the cavity 6 of thecasing 4 of the male connector 2, at a time when the front end of thecowl 18 covering the contact piece 17 comes into contact with the frontend of the movable optical contact 24, a little before the abutmentsurfaces 34 and 35 of the casings 4 and 8 come into contact with eachother.

FIG. 7 shows the state of the connection device 1 after the abutmentsurfaces 34 and 35 have come into contact with each other and the rim 72on the anchoring ring 71 has come to be hooked on behind the rim 73 onthe casing 4. At this moment, the cowl 18 has been slightly pushed back,counter to the return force of the spring 19, by the front end of themovable optical contact 24, so that the front end of the contact piece17 is kept exposed and partially engaged in the entry convergence 31 ofthe movable optical contact 24. At the same time, the casing 4 has actedon the ball or balls 69 (FIG. 1) which push back the flexible tongue ortongues 67 radially inwards in order to make them emerge from the recess68 in the casing 8. The wandering sub-assembly 38 can then be moved fromthe position depicted in FIG. 7 to the position depicted in FIG. 10 byexerting a thrust on the manoeuvring ring 74 in the direction of thearrow F2.

After the wandering sub-assembly 38 has moved by a quantity L1 (FIGS. 8and 11) from the position depicted in FIG. 7, the piston rod 61encounters the pusher 13. As from this moment, when the wanderingsub-assembly 38 continues to move in the direction of the arrow F2, asthe spring 15 has a greater stiffness than the spring 62, the pusher 13pushes the piston 54 in the suction chamber 55. However, the valve 53prevents the fluid or gel contained in the suction chamber 55 fromreturning to the reserve of gel 36, and the lip joint 59 of the piston54 allows the gel to pass to the delivery chamber 56 and, from there,through the passage 57, to the chamber 58 situated inside the movableoptical contact 24, between the two contact pieces 17 and 26. By passingthrough the chamber 58, the gel cleans the front surfaces of the contactpieces 17 and 26 and drives out any polluted environment, for examplepolluted sea water, which may be in the chamber 58, to the cavity 6 inthe casing 4 through the entry convergence 31 of the movable opticalcontact 24 and passages provided for this purpose between the frontfaces of the said movable optical contact and of the cowl 18.

When the wandering sub-assembly 38 has moved by an additional distanceL2 following the distance L1 (FIGS. 9 and 11), a little before the frontface of the wandering sub-assembly 38 encounters the front face of thepusher 13, the annular shoulder 45 on the body 39 of the wanderingsub-assembly 38 encounters the washer 46 and begins to push the movableoptical contact 24 by means of the spring 44 towards the fixed opticalcontact 11. During this movement, the contact pieces 17 and 26 movecloser to each other, and the movable optical contact 24 pushes the cowl18 whilst compressing the spring 19.

When the wandering sub-assembly 38 has also moved by an additionaldistance L3 following the distances L1 and L2 (FIG. 11), the front faceof the body 39 of the wandering sub-assembly 38 encounters the frontface of the pusher 13. As from this moment, the piston 54 ceases to movewith respect to the body 39 of the wandering sub-assembly 38, so thatthe gel ceases to be injected into the space 58 between the two contactpieces 17 and 26. Whilst the wandering sub-assembly 38 continues to movein the direction of the arrow F2, its front face pushes the pusher 13 inthe cavity 14 of the casing 4, counter to the return force of the spring15 (FIGS. 9 and 10). During this time, the piston rod 61 is held incontact with the pusher 13 by the spring 62.

After the wandering sub-assembly 38 has moved by an additional distanceL4 following the distances L1, L2 and L3, the two contact pieces 17 and26 come into contact with each other. As from this moment the movableoptical contact 24 ceases to be moved by the wandering sub-assembly 38,which pursues its travel alone over a distance L5 whilst compressing thesprings 15 and 44, until the manoeuvring ring 74 encounters theanchoring ring 71 and the extension 74 a of the said manoeuvring ringcompletely surrounds the anchoring ring, as shown in FIG. 10. At thismoment the connection process is complete.

The two contact pieces 17 and 26 are now pressed against one another bythe spring 44, and any slight interstice which may remain between themis filled in by the gel present in the chamber 58.

Conversely, during a disconnection process, starting from the statedepicted in FIG. 10, the manoeuvring ring is moved in the oppositedirection to the arrow F2 and drives with it the wandering sub-assembly38 in the same direction. Whilst the wandering sub-assembly 38 moves bythe distance L5, the springs 15 and 44 are decompressed. At the sametime or thereafter, the spring 19 and the cowl 18 push the movableoptical contact 24 so that the contact piece 26 separates from thecontact piece 17.

After the wandering sub-assembly 38 has travelled the distance L5+L4 inthe opposite direction to the arrow F2, the pusher 13 arrives in the endof travel position in the cavity 14, so that the front face of the body39 of the wandering sub-assembly 38 separates from the front face of thepusher 13, but the piston rod 61 remains in contact with the pusher 13under the thrust of the spring 62. Consequently, as from this moment, anadditional movement of the wandering sub-assembly 38 over the distanceL3+L2 in the opposite direction to the arrow F2 produces a relativemovement of the piston 54 with respect to the body 39 from the suctionchamber 55 to the delivery chamber 56. As a result the gel is suckedinto the reserve of gel 36 through the passage 52 and the non-returnvalve 53 and enters the suction chamber 55. Simultaneously, the gelwhich is situated in the delivery chamber 56 is driven by the piston 54through the passage 57 as far as the chamber 58 and the entryconvergence 31 of the movable optical contact 24, between the twocontact pieces 17 and 26 which separate from each other, thus reliningthis space 58 and the entry convergence with gel. This action of pumpingthe gel by the piston 54 continues until the said piston reaches its endof travel position in the delivery chamber 56 and, the wanderingsub-assembly 38 continuing its travel in the opposite direction to thearrow F2 over the distance L1, the front face of the piston rod 61separates from the front face of the pusher 13.

When the wandering sub-assembly 38 has made its total travel L(L=L5+L4+L3+L2+L1), the casing 8 of the female connector 3 can then beseparated from the casing 4 of the male connector 2 by exerting atraction on the casing 8 in the opposite direction to the arrow F2. Atthe start of the separation movement of the casing 8 with respect to thecasing 4, the anchoring ring 71 splays out by deforming elastically sothat the rim 72 on the ring 71 passes the rim 73 on the casing 4. At thesame time, the casing 4 ceases to act on the ball or balls 69, which canthen move radially outwards under the thrust of the flexible tongue ortongues 67. The latter then engage in the recess 68 in the casing 8,thus holding the wandering sub-assembly 38 in the position depicted inFIGS. 1 and 6.

Whilst the casing 8 of the female connector 3 separates from the casing4 of the male connector 2, the cowl 18, pushed by the spring 19, comesto cover the front end of the contact piece 17. In closing again, thetwo lips 18 a and 18 b of the cowl 18 trap part of the gel which wassituated in the entry convergence 31, and a certain quantity of gel alsoremains in the space 58, inside the socket of the movable opticalcontact 24 in front of the contact piece 26. As a result the two contactpieces 17 and 26 remain isolated from the polluted environmentsurrounding the connection device 1 after separation of the twoconnectors 2 and 3.

It should be noted that, before the first use of the connection device1, gel may be introduced manually into the cowl 18 between the lips 18 aand 18 b thereof and gel may also be introduced manually into the space58 either by direct injection through the entry convergence 31 of themovable optical contact 24, or from the reserve 36 by manually exertingpressure on the piston rod 61 and releasing it.

According to the above, it can therefore be seen that the two contactpieces 17 and 26 and the corresponding ends of the fibres 16 and 25 areprotected by the gel contained in the space 58 and in the cowl 18against any attack by the environment surrounding the connection device1, both before, during and after any process of connection ordisconnection of the two connectors 2 and 3. In addition, in theconnected state of the two connectors 2 and 3, the gel provides opticalcontinuity between the two contact pieces 17 and 26 should the slightestinterstice remain between them.

It goes without saying that the embodiment of the invention which hasbeen described above was given by way of purely indicative and in no waylimiting example, and that many modifications may easily be made by aperson skilled in the art without departing from the scope of theinvention. Thus, in particular, although the invention has beendescribed particularly with regard to a hybrid connection device, itdoes of course also apply to a connection device having solely opticalcontacts for optical fibres. In additions the number of optical contactson each of the two connectors 2 and 3 is not necessarily equal to twobut may be greater or lesser than two.

What is claimed is:
 1. Connection device for optical fibres, comprisinga first connector (2) intended to be associated with at least a firstoptical fibre (16) and a second connector (3) intended to be associatedwith at least a second optical fibre (25) which is to be connected tothe first fibre, characterised in that one (3) of the two connectors (2,3) carries a reserve (36) of a fluid having a refractive index equal tothat of the optical fibres, and at least one pumping means (37) which isconnected to said fluid reserve and which, in service, can be actuatedin response to the connection and disconnection movements of the twoconnectors (2, 3) in order, at each connection/disconnection movement,to inject fluid into a space (58) surrounding the front ends of the twofibres bringing them closer together or spacing them apart, wherein thefirst connector (2) comprises a first fixed casing or base (4) whichhas, in its end face turned towards the second connector (3), a firstcavity (6) which is open towards said second connector and on the bottom(12) of which there project on the one hand at least one fixed opticalcontact (11) in the form of a socket, in which the first optical fibre(16) is fixed, and on the other hand at least one pusher (13) forced bya first spring (15) towards the second connector (3), wherein the secondconnector (3) comprises a second moving casing or plug (8), which can befitted in the first cavity (6) of the first casing (4) and which has, inits end face turned towards the first connector (2), a second cavity(21) which is open towards said first connector and which contains atleast one movable optical contact (24) in the form of a socket, in whichthe second optical fibre (25) is fixed, which is provided with a secondrigid contact piece (26), wherein the second connector (3) alsocomprises a wandering sub-assembly (38), which carries said reserve (36)of said fluid and said pumping means (37) and which is able to move inthe second cavity (21) of the second casing (8) in the direction of theconnection-disconnection movement between a first position in which saidwandering sub-assembly is retracted in the second cavity of the secondcasing, and a second position in which it is partially emerged from saidsecond cavity, and wherein the wandering sub-assembly (38) comprises abody (39) in which there are formed at least a first passage for themovable optical contact (24), a first chamber forming said fluid reserve(36) and a second, cylindrical, chamber (51) which is connected to thefirst chamber by a second passage (52) containing a first non-returnvalve (53) allowing the fluid to pass only from the first to the secondchamber, and in that a piston (54), provided with a second non-returnvalve, is disposed in the second chamber (51) and divides the latterinto a suction chamber (55), into which said second passage (52) opensout, and a delivery chamber (56) which communicates with said firstpassage through a third passage (57) formed in the body (39) of thewandering sub-assembly (38) and with the space (58) situated inside themovable optical contact (24) in the form of a socket, in front of thesecond contact piece (26) of the second optical fibre (25), by means ofat least a fourth passage formed in said movable optical contact. 2.Connection device according to claim 1, characterised in that the firstoptical fibre (16) is provided with a first rigid contact piece (17)which extends axially beyond the end of the fixed optical contact (11)projecting in said first cavity (6), and in that the fixed opticalcontact (11) carries a protective cowl (18) which, in the disconnectedstate of the connection device (1), covers said first contact piece (17)and is at least partially filled with said fluid.
 3. Connection deviceaccording to claim 2, characterised in that the protective cowl (18) canslide on the fixed optical contact (11) and has, in the region where itcovers the free end of the first contact piece (17), at least twocontiguous lips (18 a, 18 b) made from elastomer material, which canseparate in order to allow the said first contact piece to pass when theprotective cowl is subjected to a thrust directed in the direction ofthe connection movement of the second connector (3) towards the firstconnector (2), counter to the force of a second spring (19) forcing thesaid protective cowl towards the second connector.
 4. Connection deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein said movable optical contact (24) isaligned axially with the fixed optical contact (11) of the first casing(4) when the second casing (8) is fitted in the first cavity of thefirst casing (4), and is mounted so as to be able to slide with respectto the second casing (8) between a first position in which the first andsecond contact pieces (17 and 26) of the first and second optical fibres(16 and 25) are spaced apart from each other, and a second position inwhich said first and second contact pieces are mutually in contact. 5.Connection device according to claim 4, characterised in that the secondcontact piece (26) is situated inside the movable optical contact (24)in the form of a socket, which has, at its end directed towards thefixed optical contact (11), an entry convergence (31) for guiding thefirst contact piece (17) of the first optical fibre (16), and the firstand second casings (4, 8) have abutment surfaces (34, 35) cooperating inorder to limit the entry of the second casing (8) into the first cavity(6) of the first casing (4), so that, when the said abutment surfacesare mutually in contact and the movable optical contact (24) is in itsfirst position, the first contact piece (17) is partially engaged in theentry convergence (31) of the movable optical contact (24). 6.Connection device according to claim 1, characterised in that saidwandering sub-assembly (38) is coupled to the movable optical contact(24) by an idle-movement connection (43) and by a third spring (44) sothat, in a first part (L1+L2) of the travel (L) of the wanderingsub-assembly (38) in the direction of the connection movement, themovable optical contact (24) is not driven by said wanderingsub-assembly and, in a second part (L3+L4) of said travel, saidwandering sub-assembly drives with it, by means of the third spring(44), the movable optical contact (24) until the second contact piece(26) of the second optical fibre (25) comes into contact with a firstcontact piece (17) of the first optical fibre (16).
 7. Connection deviceaccording to claim 1, characterised in that the second non-return valveconsists of a lip joint (59) which surrounds said piston (54) and whichallows the fluid to pass only from the suction chamber (55) to thedelivery chamber (56).
 8. Connection device according to claim 1,characterised in that the piston (54) is provided with a piston rod (61)which extends in the delivery chamber (56) and which projects outsidethe body (39) of the wandering sub-assembly (38) in the direction of thefirst connector (2) and in alignment with the pusher (13) of the firstconnector when the second casing (8) is engaged in the first cavity (6)in the first casing (4), and in that a fourth spring (62) having lesserstiffness than the first spring is disposed in the suction chamber (55)and forces the piston (54) and the piston rod (61) towards said pusher(13), said piston being actuated by the pusher when the wanderingsub-assembly is moved from its first to its second position, and by thefourth spring (62) when the wandering sub-assembly is moved from itssecond to its first position.
 9. Connection device according to claim 5,characterised in that the second casing (8) and the wanderingsub-assembly (38) of the second connector (3) also comprises cooperatingretention means (67, 68) for retaining the wandering sub-assembly (38)in its first position in the second cavity (21) of the second casing(8), and the second casing carries a control means (69) which isactuated by the first casing (4) when said abutment surfaces (34, 35) ofthe first and second casings (4, 8) come into contact with each other,and which at this moment acts on said retention means (67, 68) in orderto put them in an inactive state such that the wandering sub-assembly(38) can be moved from its first to its second position.
 10. Connectiondevice according to claim 5, characterised in that the second casing (8)of the second connector (3) has an anchoring ring (71) made fromelastomer material, which is fixed by one end to the second casing andwhich carries at its other end at least one anchoring element (72) ableto be attached behind a cooperating anchoring element (73) formed on thefirst casing (4) of the first connector (2) when the said abutmentsurfaces (34, 35) of the first and second casings are mutually incontact.
 11. Connection device according to claim 10, characterised inthat, to allow the movement of the wandering sub-assembly (38) betweenits first and second positions, the second connector (3) also comprisesa manoeuvring ring (74) which can slide on the second casing (8) of thesecond connector and which is connected to the wandering sub-assembly(38) in the second cavity (21) by several radial connecting elements(75) passing through oblong slots (76) formed in the second casing. 12.Connection device according to claim 11, characterised in that themanoeuvring ring (74, 74 a) is sized and configured so as to closelysurround the anchoring ring (71) when said manoeuvring ring is in aposition corresponding to the second position of the wanderingsub-assembly (38).
 13. A connection device for optical fibers,comprising: a first connector (2) associated with a first optical fiber(16) and a second connector (3) associated with a second optical fiber(25) that is to be connected to the first fiber; a reserve (36) of afluid having a refractive index equal to that of the optical fibers thatare to be connected, and a pump (37) that is connected to said reserve(36) and that injects the fluid into a space (58) at front ends of saidfirst and second fibers; said first connector (2) comprising a firstcasing (4) that has a first cavity (6) that is open towards said secondconnector and on a bottom (12) of which is a first optical contact (11)in which said first optical fiber (16) is fixed and a pusher (13) forcedby a first spring (15) towards said second connector (3); said secondconnector (3) comprising a second casing (8) that fits in said firstcavity (6) and that has a second cavity (21) that is open towards saidfirst connector and that contains a second optical contact (24) in whichsaid second optical fiber (25) is fixed; said second connector (3) alsocomprising a wandering sub-assembly (38) that carries said pump (37) andthat is movable in said second cavity (21) between a first position inwhich said wandering sub-assembly is retracted in said second cavity anda second position in which said wandering sub-assembly emerges partiallyfrom said second cavity, and said wandering sub-assembly (38) comprisinga body (39) having a first passage for said second optical contact (24),said reserve (36) and a chamber (51) which is connected to said reserveby a second passage (52) containing a first non-return valve (53)allowing the fluid to pass only from said reserve to said chamber,wherein a piston (54) is in said chamber (51) and divides said chamberinto a suction chamber (55), into which said second passage (52) opens,and a delivery chamber (56) that communicates with said first passagethrough a third passage (57) in said body (39) and that communicateswith said space (58) through a fourth passage in said second opticalcontact (24).